How to Line a Hand Knit or Crochet Bag

I got a request on Instagram to write a tutorial on how I line my hand knit and crochet bags, so here it is! I know everyone hates fussy finishing techniques but I highly recommend lining your bags. The lining will make your project look much more professional and will prevent it from stretching out with use.

I’m going to show you how I lined my Crochet Mosaic Clutch Purse since it is a pretty simple shape. I started by placing my bag on top of the fabric that I was going to use for the lining. Then, I traced the shape of the bag onto the fabric.
Next you will need to add seam allowance to your shape. I usually use a 1/2″ seam allowance unless I am working with a very small shape or a tight curve in which case I will use a 1/4″.
When you’re planning how you’re going to line your bag you want to make sure that in the end you won’t have any raw edges showing, which includes your zipper tape. Since I cut my own zipper and didn’t use one of the pre-cut ones from the store that have the plastic on either end, I had to make a binding to finish mine off.

To create the binding I cut a 2″ strip of fabric. Then, I folded the strip in half and pressed it. Next I opened it up, folded the outer edges in towards the center crease, folded it in half, and pressed it again.
Then, I just sandwiched the zipper in between the center fold of the binding and sewed it down.
Since my bag has some openwork at the top near the zipper, I decided to double line the bag so that there would be no raw edges around the zipper. So I cut four of the shapes that I traced at the beginning and sewed them so that I had two pouches (If you have a label you would like to add, now would be the time to do it). Then, I folded down the seam allowance and pressed it. This part is a little bit tricky because you want to make sure that when you insert one pouch into the other that the raw edges will be facing each other. So for one pouch you will be folding the seam allowance to the outside and for the other you will be folding it towards the inside.
Finally, you will sandwich the zipper between the edges of the two pouches and sew it in. I always hand sew the knit or crochet bag to the lining because it is easier to hide the stitches. So once you’ve sewn your zipper into the lining, you’ll put it inside you bag, pin them together, and hand stitch it. That’s it, you’re done!

If you have any questions or would like to request another tutorial please feel free to send me a message on Instagram or Facebook.